Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the major contributor to the global green house effect. It has been estimated that carbon dioxide emissions exceed 30 gigatons annually. Power generation is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, followed by industrial production and transportation. Coal is the lowest cost option to meet the growing demand for electricity. However, coal based power plants emit more carbon dioxide than other sources of electricity. Thus, the capture, compression, and transport of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning electrical power plants results in higher costs and higher operating demands of equipment, manpower and logistics to enable the plants to operate in accordance with environmental regulations and restrictions. After capturing the carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide can be stored in sites such as caves, former oil fields, former salt mines, or any other available underground or underwater storage sites. However, when storing carbon dioxide at such sites, there is no guarantee that the carbon dioxide will not leak back to the atmosphere. Therefore, it is desirable to have more effective measures for disposing of carbon dioxide.
A similar concern regarding waste gases other than carbon dioxide arises during bio-digesting processes (e.g., at waste treatment facilities or garbage dump sites), where the processed waste material can emit gases, such as methane and ammonia. Thus, it is desirable to treat these gases and other reactants in solid or liquid waste.